Resource Wars
"It is a sad day for the United Nations. Sadder still for the world. An era of relative peace and prosperity has come to a tragic end. The Resource Wars are upon us, and in my humble opinion the United Nations is needed now more than ever. Sadly, the world disagrees." -Sakugama Okiri, last President of the United Nations General Assembly. The Resource Wars were a series of largely unrelated military conflicts that took place between 2052 and 2077, in response to the energy crisis of the late 21st century. The conflict would eventually prove to be the largest and most destructive in human history, eventually resulting in a nuclear exchange that destroyed most of the world: The Great War. Middle Eastern War Background Unlike the largely energy independent nations of the United States and China, the European Commonwealth relied heavily on Middle Eastern petroleum imports by the 21st century. By the 2040s, peak oil had been reached, and many oil producing nations had no choice but to massively increase the cost of their exports. This put a large strain on the European economy, and in major cities like Berlin, Paris and London; it wasn't uncommon to see completely desolate stretches of highway, as their citizens turned to public transportation. In response to the growing threat of European aggression, several Arab states in the Middle East formed the United Arab Coalition, resulting in the unification of the participating members' various militaries for the defense of the various countries interests. With the combined economic might of the oil-producing states, the UAC forces underwent a rapid modernization between 2048 and 2051, purchasing many new weapons and technologies from the Soviet Union, China, and even the United States. Outbreak of Hostilities In December 2051, representatives from the Middle Eastern oil-producing states walked out on talks with the European Commonwealth. Over the course of the next two months, the UAC member states began closing their European embassies, and recalling their own ambassadors from the European nations. When the United Nations proved completely ineffective and mediating the conflict, relations between Europe and the Middle East completely broke down. On April 3, 2052, the Commonwealth Armed Forces were mobilized for the first time in their century of existence, and the member states each officially declared war on the UAC member states. The European Expeditionary Forces, led by Marshal Cornelius Nottingham of the British Army, launched a major offensive into Syria and Azerbaijan via Turkey, while a massive aerial invasion of Egypt was attempted in order to secure the Suez Canal for trading purposes. On April 5, Israel entered the war on the side of the European armies, with the Israeli Defense Forces invading the Sinai peninsula, Jordon, and Syria. This outraged the non-Arab states of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, who responded by declaring war on Israel and the Commonwealth. Initial Gains As the joint British-Israeli forces closed in on Cairo, President Mohammad al-Sharaff was forced to abdicate and flee the country in exile. The Treaty of Tel-Aviv was signed, in which Egypt was to be occupied by the British Army, while Israel would annex the Sinai as their own. The Egyptian government was also forced to sign a 99 year long lease of the Suez Canal to the British government. Despite heavy loss of life on the eastern front, the Turkish government fell a week later, as the German Fifth Armored division overpowered the Turkish Army in Ankara and took over the capital. It looked to many Europeans that the war would be a brief one, and the slogan "Be home by Christmas" became popular among European soldiers. Stalemate As European troops entered marched onward, they were met with fierce resistance from the Arab armies. Before long, the European advances had been halted, especially as troops from Iran and Central Asia arrived to assist the Arab forces. By July, the Syrian front had become engulfed in trenches and barbed wire, as the opposing armies dug in, while European troops to the south were pushed out of Saudi Arabia, back into Egypt. By the time autumn rolled around, the earlier hopes of being "home by Christmas" slowly became nothing more than wishful thinking. Fall of Mecca In February 2053, the European armies in the west finally managed to break through the Arab lines, launching a multi-pronged offensive into Jordan and Saudi Arabia. This offensive proved to be much bloodier than the first; at the Battle of Al Jafr, more soldiers were killed in three hours of combat than at the D-Day invasion a century earlier. In the end it all paid off, however, as European and Israeli troops entered the holy city of Mecca that June. The presence of the non-Muslim troops in Mecca caused an uproar across the Islamic world. Many European Muslims took to the streets in protest, often resulting in violent clashes with the police and accusations of treason. On December 5, a militant group of pro-Arab Palestinian radicals detonated a low-yield atomic bomb in Tel Aviv, Israel, much to the horror of the world. Nuclear Exchange In response to the destruction of Tel Aviv, the European Commonwealth authorized the use of atomic weapons. Israeli bombers detonated atomic devices over the cities of Damascus, Tehran, Riyadh, Baghdad and Beruit, while the French used neutron bombs with the hope of breaking Arab lines. Iran and Pakistan responded by detonating atomic bombs over the European held cities of Cairo, Alexandria, Tabuk and Izmir. In addition to the millions killed by the blasts, radioactive clouds engulfed the middle east, making thousands of civilians and troops on both sides ill with radiation poisoning and cancer. Almost as quickly as it had started, the nuclear exchange ended when it was discovered that it had given neither side a distinct advantage. The Black Summer After two years of bloody stalemate, the European forces finally broke through the Saudi defenses with the arrival of cutting edge mechanized infantry. Not willing to let their resources fall into the enemy's hands, the Saudi troops initiated a "scorched-earth" policy, setting their oil fields ablaze as they retreated to the south. As hundreds of petroleum fields burned, smoke drifted high into the atmosphere, blocking out the sun over large parts of central Asia, the Soviet Union and China. The "Black Summer", as it came to be known, actually referred to the period between May 2056 and November 2057 during which many crops across the affected areas began to die out, leading to massive food shortages, particularly in China. The End of the War Finally in 2060, the war between the European Commonwealth and the UAC ended. However, the end of the war would prove to be another worthless achievement between the two political bodies, as they had lost so much. While the two countries had been fighting each other, both had been successful in wasting their own resources to fight for resources. So when the oil derricks stopped running in the Middle East, both countries withdrew. The UAC quickly dissolved back into its members normal states, and they went back to fighting almost immediately over the irradiated land that each claimed was theirs. The European Commonwealth suffered the same fate. During the war, the massive loss of life and the nuclear exchange between the two warring nations began to show scars in the EC's system. And with the lack of resources for each of the nations, a idea that the European Commonwealth had promised, the former members exited the Commonwealth and began to fight their own territorial wars. Sino-American War See the Sino-American War page for more information. Background The Middle Eastern War had caused many dire consequences for the world, as the main sources of oil for the world had been depleted or destroyed. China and the United States, the two biggest users of oil before the Middle-Eastern War, now had to find new means of keeping themselves stable. The Chinese especially, which had already gone into an Energy Crisis by Spring of 2066. While some scientists began looking for fusion cells for the answer, the two countries set their eyes on the virgin oil fields in the Pacific Ocean. During the early 2060s, the Chinese and the Americans began sending geologists and petroleum exploration engineers to try and claim the vast oil fields under the Pacific. However, afraid that they would not be able to get any rigs built before the Chinese did, the United States had spies sabotage the Chinese efforts; and quickly established a Poseidon oil rig on the oil fields in order to claim it as U.S. property. Enraged, China became more aggressive in trade trades talks with the United States in Spring 2066; demanding that the United States export more oil to China. The United States was unwilling to support exporting oil to them, and the Chinese left talks with the Americans even more angry than before. The cherry-on-top which would start the Sino-American War would be the United States' revealing it's first crude Fusion cell; a project the Chinese were not informed on. After asking if the American's could put Fusion cell technology on the market, and getting the stern answer of 'no'; the Chinese began planning a violent way of getting resources. The War Begins On the morning of December 10, 2066; a Chinese fleet was spotted off the coast of the city of Anchorage. When the reports came in, the U.S. Artillerymen began to fire on the Chinese fleet with Anchorage's massive cannons, while U.S. troops inside of Anchorage tried to halt the Chinese landings. However, all of these efforts proved to have failed, as General Jingwei's forces managed to land at Anchorage; and claimed the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline and the oil reserves for Beijing. Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe; General Sun launched a major attack on the countries of Indonesia and Malaysia to claim their oil reserves as well. The American government, shocked at how the Chinese had managed to invade U.S. soil; began building up an expeditionary force to attack the People's Liberation Army in Anchorage as soon as possible. In Anchorage, many of the citizens hid in their homes as PLA forces patrolled the streets; finding any suspected guerrillas and killing them. By late December 2067, U.S. Army forces lead by General Constantine Chase had arrived in Alaska to end the Chinese occupation of Anchorage; starting a straight forward advance into the Anchorage Frontline to gain a possible foothold in the conflict. At the same time, General Sun's forces were pushing into the city of Kuala Lumpur in an effort to destroy the Malaysian Army presence in the city. Malaysian General Mawar, a U.S. trained Military tactician, tried desperately to defend the city of Kuala Lumpur with outdated and poor United States weapons and vehicles, all in the while losing more ground every hour. On January 31, General Mawar was forced to retreat to East Malaysia after PLA forces began to charge the steps of the House of Parliament, overthrowing the main area of government. After the capture of Kuala Lumpur, General Sun lead a week long offensive down the Malay Peninsula, destroying any opposition from the Malaysian Army the found in the jungles of the peninsula. Meanwhile, the Anchorage Reclamation had lost momentum after the U.S. forces had neared the city of Anchorage. Constantine Chase had failed to realize that the People's Liberation Army still had control of the Anchorage Cliffs and its powerful guns. This would result in the uncessary destruction of the 100th and 102th Infantry Battalions during the failed push of "Operation: Snowfox". The U.S. advance grinded to a halt outside of the city of Anchorage, but the main goal of recapturing the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline was now complete. The oil reserves of Alaska were now flowing through the nation of Canada, along with U.S. Military aid and equipment, despite its outcry againist it. By February 2067 also, the new T-45d power armor had arrived in Anchorage, giving the U.S. soldiers an even better advantage over their Chinese foes. The Anchorage Frontline went in by about ten miles before the weak T-45d's finally met their match with Chinese heavy troopers in March of 2067, ending a once steady advance into the occupied city of Anchorage. End of Chinese Conquest General Sun, after conquering the city of Singapore in less than a day campaign that resulted in the destruction of Singapore's entire army and the stationing of a small portion of Chinese soldiers in the city. General Sun began to set his sights on two more objectives in his campaign to conquer the last oil reserves in Southeast Asia, East Malaysia and Indonesia. General Sun quickly divided his force into two groups, and sent one of them on major offensive into East Malaysia. He wanted to make it seem like to Indonesia that they were focused only on the conquest of Malaysia to Indonesia, but Indonesia had already been expecting an attack on it's country for months. In Early March of 2067, Sun had begun the invasion of the island of Sumantra after having his forces make an Amphibious landing across the Strait of Malacca. The Indonesian Army, armed with only old U.S. and Soviet equipment from as late as the 2020's, were quickly overrun and were forced to retreat down to the Southern edge of the island. Sun was pleased, the invasion was going better than he had expected from the Indonesians, and with the forces in Eastern Malaysia almost done with the conquest; he would be able to have his full force strike down on the Malaysians. Back in Kalimatan, Sun's commanders were making excellent progess in the campaign. They had managed to get as far as Brunei during the early days of the campaign, and were told by the Chinese government to begin the assault of the nation immediately to "free the people of Brunei of their imperialistic oppressors." In mid-March, another group of Chinese forces broke off from the regular force and attacked Brunei, while the other forces secured the edge of the island before heading into Indonesian territory to the south. The Chinese expedition in Brunei was done in less than a week, as Chinese forces raised the flag of the People's Republic above the city of Bandar Seri Begawan. With the conquest of Malaysia complete, the Chinese forces in Kalimatan turned their forces on the Indonesian side of the island to complete the campaign. Sun, who had captured the island of Sumantra fully by the time the Chinese forces had begun the offensive on Brunei, was peacefully waiting for the right time to strike down on the capital of Jakarta. Naval ships outside of Jakarta's port were continously battering the coastline with naval artillery without any good resistance from the Indonesian military at all, while the PLAAF bombed the city to weaken the city as much as possible. But still, General Sun had to worry about the Indonesian Army in the jungles of Java, which had begun to prove resiliant in the Sumantra campaign as he went further into the island. He had more than two thousand causalties during the ending days of Sumantra, and was worried he would have more if the Chinese forces in Kalimantan would not start the invasion of eastern Indonsia. When the invasion did start, Sun happily took his chance with the invasion of Java. Going across the Sunda strait, Sun still experienced heavy resistance during his invasion, but most of the Indonesian Army had been moved towards fighting the forces in Kalimantan had left only a small garrison on Java. Sun, as soon after setting up a beachhead on the western side of Java, began the push on the capital of Jakarta to finally collapse the Indonesian government. On April 6, 2067, General Sun road personally in his staff car to the Parliament of Indonesia to sign the Surrender papers with the Indonesian government; handing the country and all of it's oil supplies to the People's Republic of China. Stalemate in Anchorage In Anchorage, General Constantine Chase and his forces were not making any progress in capturing the city from the Chinese army, as the forces inside the city had quickly built defenses before his taskforce had arrived in Alaska to fight. Trenches and outposts lined the outside of the small Alaskan city to prevent the Americans from taking back the People's Republic of China's territory. So, General Chase was forced to play the chinese's game, having his soldiers build their own trenches and artillery positions. The Chinese had conquered quite a large amount of U.S. territory during the initial invasion, capturing everything from Port Mackenzie, to Eagle Glacier and the tip of the Kenai Peninsula. The Americans, meanwhile, had everything around the Chinese-territory, and thus had an advantage over the city. The U.S. Airforce also had room to bomb the city of Anchorage, dropping as many bombs as they could to weaken the Chinese defenses inside the city. However, the Chinese airforce also had some bomber and jets in the area, along with PLA Navy ships that were also constantly supplying the forces in Anchorage. During 2068 and 2069, General Chase tried numerous attempts on the Chinese defensive line in Anchorage; costing thousands of lives to be lost in fruitless operations to "secure" valuable ground. The Anchorage Reclamation Operation was going horribly, so to hide the fact that the U.S. Military was making no real ground in the operation; the U.S. government began circulating propaganda to the citizens of the United States that American "was doing dandy" in the war againist Chinese aggression. But as more and more body bags began to come home from the Anchorage Frontline, Americans began to wonder if they were actually winning the fight. Canadian Annexation While the war was still going on in Anchorage and in the Pacific waters for control of some of the last reserves of oil, the United States began to face another problem from their neighbor to the North: Canada. Since the war had started in 2066, the United States had personally used Canada's roads to transport their military equipment and oil to and from Alaska. Even worse in the tensions between the United States and Canada, the U.S. had been using Canada's resources for their own war effort, including it's vast timberlands and it's own oil supply. Though Canadians protested, many were afraid to actually start a conflict with the United States for fear of being annihlated from the face of the earth. Then in 2072, everything changed. A Canadian revolutionary group had grown tired of waiting for their country to slowly be assimilated into the United States while they sat back and watched in agony. The group had decided that it had enough, and began to plot an attack on America's interests in their nation. On May 5, 2072; the primarily Communist revolutionary group tried to blow up a small section of the Trans-Alaskan pipeline in the province of the British Columbia in order to make their voices heard. Unfortunately for the citizens of Canada, the U.S. Military used it for their advantage. A U.S. Army force, led by General Buzz Babcock, invaded Canada through passage into the Great Lakes region; capturing the cities of Montreal and Toronto in only a few short hours after the invasion. The Canadian Army tried to scramble in soldiers to fight off the Annexation forces, but the highly advanced U.S. Military crushed the Canadian Military resistance in only a few short hours after their musterment. Canadian resistance groups and militias also tried to fight off the American forces, but were forced to go into hiding when the U.S. Army occupied Canadian cities. Riots and protests about the American Annexation of Canada broke out in major Canadian cities, forcing U.S. Infantrymen and Powered-Armored troops to be sent out to quell these riots. Many war crimes were commited when the U.S. Army dispersed these riots and protests, all of them being overlooked by either the ongoing war in Alaska or simply forgotten. National Gaurd units would be sent into the newly annexed Canada to ensure that the area was peaceful, while the U.S. Military forces which had invaded Canada were sent to Alaska to fight. The Tide Turns The introduction of power armor, in the form of T-45d and later T-51b power armor suits, would prove to be one of the most decisive events in the war. In conjunction with the creation and distribution of mass-produced laser small arms and the invention of microfusion cells which made those technologies possible, power armor allowed an individual soldier to take on the same importance and load in a given battle as a tank would have previously. This was an unprecedented and paradigm shift, which when deployed en masse, proved to rout the Chinese forces with ease. Whether or not the sudden shift in the balance was the result of the power armor or battle fatigue was initially uncertain. However, the continued successes of powered armor in other fields of battle made the answer unsettlingly clear: power armor would be the way of the future, and would go on to form the backbone of the American army as it prepared to launch a retaliatory strike and campaign across the Pacific. Island-Hopping After American Forces were able to liberate Japan and retake most of Korea, they began a new plan. China had control over vast amounts of foreign countries and began a World War ll-style Island Hopping as American Naval Fleets and Air Forces with support from Australia began to invade the south pacific and retake all strategic island and coastline naval points that the PLA navy had used to annex and colonize all of its neighbors starting the Second Pacific War. Around 2074 the United States Air Force began a successful bombing campaign against the Chinese navy off the coast of Indochina and liberated the nation while at the same time the Americans retook Indonesia, Brunei, and East Timour and began to force the Chinese Army in Alaska to withdraw some of its troops to protect their dominence in asia. The islan-hopping strategy worked as the Phillipense had managed to coordinate a successful army attacks at major PLA areas and Japan had regained their military power and began to liberate the East-China sea however despite the many successes, the US took heavy casualties. Linking up with the East-Asian Democratic Bloc After the United States successfully repeled China fromt he South Pacific and began to advance into Occupied Malaysia, the East-Asian Democratic Bloc began to contact the US troops and had amanged to gain enough support to assist the US troops. EAD Military Forces began to advance into Taiwan where anti-communist insurgents began to rebel against the communist masters and demanded secession from the PRC. The PLA Troops attempted to fire on the protestors when East-Asian/Korean bombers flew in and began to bomb strategic cities that China had in the island country. Taiwanese rebels soon set up territory and established a new nation however it wasn't until after the Great War that Taiwan would reclaim its independence once more. Liberation of Malaysia After the EADB began to assist the US, US Marines began a massive invasion of Malaysia to assist Malaysian rebels who wanted to reclaim their lost nation. By June of 2076, American paratroopers with support from Japan began to invade occupied Malaysia and made it deep into the mainland and the Malaysian jungle. Malaysian militants had used the jungle to their advantage as the PLA troops harldy stepped foot in the area and were easily gunned down. Meanwhile the sound of American Armour and Troops filled the nation of Malaysia as the PLA was no match for the battle hardened American Forces and Japanese Naval and Air Forces nad prevented the PLA Navy from entering the conflict anytime soon. By August, the country was liberated and the Democratic Republic of Malaysia was established. The Invasion of China proper Following the endless American victories in the Pacific and the failing campaign in Alaska and Korea, American Forces soon entered into mainland China in a D-Day style invasion. First the US Marines took over small parts of Manchuria but as America and her allies gained more ground more troops pulled in and soon much of western China was liberated. Soviet Involvement While not directly involved in the Sino-American war until the very last second, September of 2077, the Soviet Union was complicit in allowing American troops and materiel through Siberia, offering Vladivostok as a staging area. Soviet Bombers would often make various bombing runs in annexed Mongolia to assist Mongolian rebels. The KGB played a significant role in crippling the PRC's war-waging capabilities throughout the war. Gobi Campaign American Forces had soon entered the Gobi Desert with support form Uyger and Mongolian rebels that had taken over abanded facilities and other small parts of the region. US troops were able to take most of the desert however the neither side advanced any further by Spring of 2077 due to the lack of resources in the region, destruction of all major industrial cities and complexes, and the uyger militants had began to fight both sides. American Forces were saved by Air Lifts, Chinese soldiers defecting to the Americans' side, and the American invasion of the Yellow River. Yellow River Campaign As the PLA was being streched thin across the mainland, American Forces began to invade the Yellow River. The invasion was a success as the area was captured faster than anyother area captured during the campaign, however the remaining Chinese troops had began to loose their sanity and began to attack the Americans just like Japan did during the Second World War. US troops could repel them but it costed many lives and the conditions were hard for the Americans. Fortunatly however American forces managed to liberate the cities of Nanjing and Shanghai. Seizure of Manchuria and the destruction of the Sino-Korean Border The Manchurian Campaign had began to pick up speed and soon the Americans were nearing the most strategic location out of all else; Beijing, the capitol of China. President Xin had began to act desperate and arrogant as the PLA had lost badly in Alaska, suffered heavy casualties in the pacific during the Second Pacific War, Beijing had only a handful of fighters and soldiers and soon the US troops began to advance further into Manchuria with the support of Korean artillary fire from the south. Meanwhile down south the PLA had began to loose control over Korea and began to evacuate to the mainland only to be cut off and may surrendered. Those who did not fought until the last bullet and soon nuclear attacks were launched by orders of Xin and destroyed the Sino-Korean border but the Americans continued to advance further into the mainland. Final Attempt at a Peace Settlement With little to not options, American victories everywhere and the mainland in chaos, the Government of China aggreed to issued new peace talks by the US government to be in Washington DC. President Xin had acted calm and demanded that the US troops withdraw from the mainland in exchange China would sign a cease-fire and would shrink its dominance in the region. American President Samuel Walker agreed to the demands however Xin refused to cave in and accept the demands the US had such as disarm most of their nukes and allow Mongolia to secced. The peace talks failed but President Walker knew Xin was desperate and saw his sweaty face and heard his desperate mumbling on the way out. End of the War (and the start of the Great War) On October 23rd 2077 America had won the war, Beijing was in American crossfires, defences were low, and the Americans were ready for anything. As the US Army began to pour into the capitol and take over the Forbidden city, they saw nuclear warheads launch outside the capitol and after the Presidential HQ was taken and Xin killed by an angry young American soldier, they witnessed true horror. America responded and soon American warheads began to hit and obliterate China when all of a sudden a nuclear bomb hit Beijing and most of the people died in the blasts and war ended with nuclear fire. Asian Conflict The beginning of the Sino-American war was concurrent with the beginning of a nominally separate conflict simply termed the Asian Conflict, which pitted the East Asian Democratic Bloc against the PRC. Background Malaysia and Indonesia, two principle members of the EADB, were some of the last oil-producing nations in Asia. Being also closely tied to the United States, the EADB were viewed as the most present threat to the PRC outside of the Soviet Union. So when the Chinese were locked out of both the oil fields of the Pacific as well as fusion technology, plans were drawn with the intent of winning a quick and decisive victory which would secure the Chinese position and allow for all of their resources to be devoted to fighting the largest threat, the United States. Simultaneously with the invasion of Alaska, the PLA marched across the border of Indochina, Burma, and Thailand -- December 10, 2066. Southeast Asian Front The nations of Southeast Asia were slow to react to the rapid advance of Chinese forces, and it wasn't until two weeks after the start of the war that the Indochinese were able to form a coherent resistance. The remainder of Southeast Asia collapsed entirely, although guerrillas would continue to harangue the Chinese occupiers until 2077. Levying the superiority of the Chinese navy, Indochina was blockaded and Malaysia invaded via amphibious assaults, their naval infantry landing simultaneously on each island of Indonesia and Malaysia, with most of the nations occupied by December 20. Indochina would fall by March of 2067, unable to be relieved, but the Indochinese themselves didn't give up -- the original, democratic government fled into exile in the jungle, and a majority of the Indochinese forces became guerrillas rather than support the communist regime that China had enforced upon them. While southeast Asia became chaotic and difficult to maintain control over for the PRC, whose leadership understood that withdrawal meant that their forced communist governments would collapse, continued the occupation all the way up until the Great War, at a hefty price. The Naval War Japan and China were the two largest naval powers in the region, possessing similar technology and similar numbers of ships. For five years, from 2067 until 2072, Chinese and Japanese fleets clashed in the Sea of China, Gulf of Korea, and Sea of Japan, as well as the waters off of Kamchatka. Neither side was able to achieve the decisive victory they had hoped for, and it was only via freight-type submarines that the Chinese were able to maintain supply lines with Alaska. Unable to muster the strength required to launch a full-scale naval invasion of Japan, the PLA was instead organized to assault the front that had been formed in Korea along the border of Manchuria. However, the Chinese (who had expected a swift victory at sea, and thus neglected to take care of Korea until 2070) were confronted by World War I-like trench systems and extremely dug-in defensive positions which made advancing through them hellish. Against Korea and Japan, China had only one advantage: numbers. But with next to no naval support, with Chinese fleets being harangued by the Japanese, and no other advantages, the PLA invasion was slow-going, and eventually developed into a stalemate north of Pyongyang which would last until the Americans ejected the PLA from Alaska and invaded China proper. Resurgence of the East Asian Bloc Category:Events Category:Wars